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THE 

LION'S CLAW 

TRAIL 

= LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



014 068 785 6 % 
THE 

CAMEL'S HUMP REGION 

OF THE 

GREEN MOUNTAINS 

OF 

VERMONT 



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THE LION'S CLAW TRAIL— 

A NEW ROUTE SOUTH 

OF CAMEL'S HUMP 



Louis J. Paris, M. D. . 

Chairman State Membership Committee 
Green Mountain Club 



(Reprinted from the Burling-ton Free 
Press, September 1, 1916) 



Those who have stood on the brink of 
the great clifC at the top of Camel's Hump 
must remember the long ridge, crowned 
by gentle knolls, which stretches south- 
ward. Along this ridge lies the new route 
of the Long Trail which is now open for 
travel. The Long Trial formerly passed 
through a burnt-over valley on the east 
far below the crest of this ridge. In a 
burnt-over region open to the sun every 
seed dropped sprouts, in fact all of na- 
ture's forces are striving to cover the 
scar with new growth. Each season 
found the trail choked with a rank 
growth, and the clearing of this trail 
threatened to be a never-ending task for 
the Green Mountain club. A lumber job, 
likely to last for years, was on the line 
of the Long Trail below the burnt region 
and its slash had already blocked the 
trail. 

These conditions, coupled with the en- 
tire lack of scenic interest of this part of 
the trail, made it very clear that further 



outlay of money had better be made in 
re-locating the Long Trail. The crest of 
the ridge was the obvious path, for it 
can be taken as an axiom for trail build- 
ers that the higher a trail runs the more 
permanent it becomes as undergrowth 
disappears on the higher levels. The 
scenic gain is too obvious to need men- 
tion. 

THE BUILDING OF THE TRAIL. 

Plans were made to clear the Long Trail 
as far south as Lincoln mountain in 1916, 
in fact, a small sum had already been 
given for that purpose. The unexpected 
then happened, for a Green Mountain 
club member. Prof. W. S. Monroe, of 
Montclair, N. J., offered to finance a trail 
cutting expedition to last several weeks, 
and to do the work wherever the Green 
Mountain club thought that the Long 
Trail would be most benefited . 

The re-location of the Long Trail south 
of Camel's Hump was suggested, and at 
once appealed to Professor Monroe as an 
opportunity for a choice bit of scenic trail 
which would make a highly impressive 
approach to the Lion from the south. His 
plan was to bring up camp equipment, 
food and tents for the accommodation of 
six. Two friends were to accompany him 
from New York, and relays of Green 
Mountain club members were to be his 
guests while working on the trail. 

The building of the trail being assured, 
the next in order was to prospect and 
blaze a trail route to save time for 
the builders. Two Green Mountain club 
members, Clarence P. Cowles and J. E. 
Woodruff, went from Burlington June 9, 
where they were joined by Forester 
Chamberlain and spent two days pros- 



pecting. The chosen route south of the 
big cliff proved impossible; the ground is 
covered with boulders of all shapes and 
sizes separated by wide and deep crevices, 
all mixed in with a dense growth of scrub 
spruce, or, where the mountain has been 
burnt over, a jungle of slash. Those 
knolls, so gentle when seen from aloft, on 
approach turned into steep hills, three or 
four hundred feet high, bristling with 
slash. It was a question of spending days 
to a mile of trail or going around, so the 
line of least resistance was followed. The 
scouts on the second day lined out the 
trail to a point five and one-half miles 
south of the Lion, when dense fog with 
heavy rain ended the trip. The begin- 
ning of the Lion's Claw Trail, however, 
was made. 

Professor Monroe and J. Ashton Allis of 
Montclair, N. J., with Kerson Nurrian of 
New York arrived in Burlington June 
20, where they were joined by Olden 
Paris, proceeding to North Duxbury by 
the early train. The heavy camp outfit 
was carried by automobile to the Calla- 
han farm and there transferred to an ox 
team. The New Trail was followed up 
the mountain one and one-half miles to 
a road built by the forestry service last 
spring. The road passes a camp site 
where huge crates give the impression 
that a basket picnic on a giant scale had 
happened. These contained a large plant- 
ing of spruce trees, the reason for the 
road. The actual trail begins where this 
road ends, and the heavy outfit was 
packed in half a mile to a previously lo- 
cated camp site where an unfailing brook 
comes down from Baker's Notch. 

Before night the ground was cleared of 
brush, four tents pitched, a roofed dining 



table and fireplace built. From Camp 
Montclair some very strenuous work was 
carried on in the next three weeks in 
spite of wet weather, intense heat, and 
black flies. Mr. Nurrian stayed a week, 
Professor Monroe, Mr. Allis and Olden 
Paris stayed through. Mr. Woodruff and 
T. S. Dean of Burlington spent several 
days. Mr. Dean repeating the visit. Dr. 
Paris spent a week. Forester Chamber- 
lain lent valuable aid in two long scout- 
ing trips. 



THE LION'S CLAW TRAIL. 



Beginning back at the New Trail the 
Forestry road strikes off south at the 
point under the cliffs where the stiff 
climbing up the peak begins. The Fores- 
try road leads up the ridge to a notch 
in the crest, and from this notch the trail 
leads southwest to Camp Montclair, 
crossing the ridge. The first knob south 
of the Lion lies just north of the camp, 
a grim, fire-swept hill. On the west side 
the fire stopped abruptly and the stand- 
ing forest presents a border w^ich might 
have been drawn by a ruler. Above the 
camp, which is at an elevation of 2,700 
feet, the ridge towers to the east, and the 
brook which tumbles down the mountain 
side rises in Baker's Notch, a cleft in its 
crest. To the south the densely forested 
mountain sides stretch, but to the west 
unfolds a wonderful picture. Hills, fertile 
valleys, a pond peeping out from among 
the ridges then Lake Champlain with its 
landlocked bays, long points and islands. 
Back of all rise the toothed ranges of 
the Adirondack mountains one above an- 
other. Framed by the trees stands 
Whiteface showing not alone its familiar 



cone, but the great ridge of the mountain, 
revealed to its very base. Three miles 
down the mountain lies Forest City, a 
little settlement, whose sawmill whistle 
marks time at the camp. 

The brook is undoubtedly never failing, 
but canteens should be filled as there are 
eight miles of dry trail to the south. 
Crossing the brook, the trail skirts along 
the side of the south knoll, and soon 
crosses a logging road which leads down 
to Forest City. From here opens up the 
first view of the Lion, but the great cliff 
is lost from this viewpoint, the peak 
showing as a great rounded cone. A 
brook is crossed, and another logging 
road leading down the mountain, with an 
even finer view of the Lion. 

The trail shows evidence of hard work 
with a cross-cut saw, as many big logs 
have been sawed and rolled clear. There 
is a fine forest along the trail, open 
enough to give delightful western vistas. 
It is surprising that the trail should have 
so soon become a hard, well-beaten path. 
The trail climbs to a higher level, but 
continues to skirt the mountain until one 
and one-half miles out where it starts up 
the slope in earnest arriving in a notch, 
then turning south along the crest. Three 
knolls are crossed, the middle proving to 
be the high point touched by the trail 
with an elevation of 3,350 feet, the other 
knolls showing 3,300 feet. From this ridge 
opens the view into the deep and narrow 
valley above North Fayston. The trail 
drops down, and at the base of another 
hill a little pond was found in June. It 
is five and one-half miles from Callahan's 
to this pond or two and one-half miles 
from Camp Montclair. 

The blazed line of the scouts ended 
here, and to keep the trail on the ridge, 
the hill beyond was prospected for a 



route but was covered with such a tangle 
of slash that again the way around was 
sought. An old skidway straight down 
the mountain side led to a practicable 
route. This leads along the mountain 
side under cliffs into a ravine which 
slants gently downward. It arrives at a 
double blazed birch by a brook, probably 
dry in August, still at an elevation of 
2,800 feet, which is the low point touched 
by the trail. 

Crossing the brook, the trail skirts 
along a steep hillside through most at- 
tractive forest, dropping at length into 
an old logging road which rambles 
through a lumbered region where many 
large birches still stand. The road slants 
down and finally arrives at a broken 
down log bridge. The road now rises 
through the scar of a lumber job out on 
the bare mountain side. From here one 
sees the mill and settlement at North 
Fayston. This barren is soon crossed, 
and the trail enters a forest where the 
ground is covered inches deep with moss. 

From here on are found a series of 
ravines, nine in number. The first is a 
crevice a yard wide and 20 feet deep ex- 
tending across the ridge. A treacherous 
jump on moss covered rock but now safe- 
ly bridgea. In the second ravine a 
smooth wall of rock was found \vith no 
way around. A bit of woodcraft pro« 
vided a way up as a spruce was felled to 
lock behind a tree on the brink and lie 
along the face of rock at an easy angle. 
Steps were notched in the trunk, and an- 
other tree placed as a handrail maKes a 
safe and easy ladder. Two more ravines 
are crossed and the trail climbs a rocky 
knob on the crest of the ridge which 
shows an elevation of 3,000 feet. To the 
south rise higher rock peaks, part of the 
same mountain. 



THE LION'S CLAWS. 

Four ravines are crossed on the way 
to the first peak. Stunted spruce and 
balsam partly cover the lower level, 
growing from a scanty film of earth in 
crevices and hollows. The trail twists 
from ledge to ledge until the bare rock 
crest is gained. On each side of the ridge 
there is a sheer drop down a cliff of un- 
broken granitic rock. Fine views open to 
the east and west, while directly south 
across a saddle rises a higher rock mass. 
The barometer gives an elevation of 3,100 
feet. 

The trail threads its way through the 
scrub growth to a wall of rock. Climb- 
ing by ledges to a point where the mass 
of rock can be seen, it shows convex from 
north to south, dropping abruptly at the 
sides. From its bare summit the view 
is superb; the Mad River valley stretches 
along the eastern base of the mountains 
as far as the eye can see. North Fayston 
nestles under the mountain with Waits- 
field only two miles south but hidden be- 
hind a ridge. On one rare day the trail- 
makers saw the Presidential range on 
the eastern horizon. The massive head 
of the Lion blocks the view to the north. 
Mt. Hunger and the Worcester range to 
the northeast show with added height. 
To the west unfolds the always wonder- 
ful panorama of Lake Champlain with 
its Adirondack background. 

The last claw rises to the south and 
beyond stretches a ridge ending in a 
small peak. Just over this peak lies 
Huntington Notch, through which Waits- 
field and its neighboring towns once 
found their outlet to Burlington over a 
county road. The coming of the railroad 
ended the necessity for this road and it 
has faded out of existence. It now can 
barely be traced, but serves as an ap- 



proach to the Long Trail. Some miles 
south of the Notch rises the great triple 
peaked mass of Lincoln mountain. From 
this view point a debated question is 
settled as to whether the ridge of Lincoln 
mountain reached the Notch. It does not, 
for north of Ellen peak a deep notch in 
the ridge ends Lincoln mountain. The 
mountain north is a hig peak with base 
line of not less than 10 miles with a 
height, which from comparison with the 
Lion's Claws and Mt. Abraham, known 
elevation, can hardly be less than 3,800 
feet high. Its crest bears three knobs. 
As is too frequently the case the moun- 
tain is unnamed, and for identification 
and general interest every peak is rela- 
tion to the Long Trail should bear a 
name. 

Stark Peak is offered as a good strong 
name, woven into the history of Ver- 
mont, and with a geographical signific- 
ance as Starksboro lies to the west. But 
in this year "Place aux Dames!" and 
Molly's mountain might commemorate 
the gentle Molly, who, with entire unex- 
pectedness to herself, became an histori- 
cal personage by not becoming a widow 
at the Battle of Bennington. Fair Ellen 
has gone too long unchaperoned anyway. 

While on the subject of names, a strong 
plea is urged for the "Couching Lion" or 
simply "The Lion" instead of Camel's 
Hump. The farmer who saw his first 
camel at a circus viewed its angularities 
and general impossibility from all sides, 
then gasped: "Gosh! there ain't no sich 
animal!" So it is with this mountain; 
there is only the name, the animal never 
can be there. When in the outline of this 
mountain one sees a majectic head reared 
in outlook southward, with a great back 
and flanks sloping to the north, no mat- 
ter by what name it is called, the peak 

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will always be "The Couching Lion." 
For their identification, and to aid in fix- 
ing the better name, it is further sug- 
gested that the first knob below the big 
cliff be called Little Cub, then on each 
side of Baker's Notch, the North and 
South Cubs. High Point comes next, 
then Big Cub, the first knob of the claws, 
the Dew Claw, then the Upper Claw, Big 
Claw, and Lower Claw. 

Picking up the trail, the next saddle is 
crossed, and the Lower Claw is found to 
be the same kind of a rocky climb. The 
trail weaves to its crest over ledges, 
through and around the scrub growth. 

A crown of bare rock on a peak of the 
Green mountains is seen more frequently 
at an elevation over rather than under 
4,000 feet. Why this huge mass of rock 
should be bare at the 3,100-foot level is a 
question for a geologist to answer. Local- 
ly the peak is called Burnt Rock from its 
having been swept by a forest fire. The 
sides are so steep, however, that it ap- 
pears doubtful whether the mass was ever 
covered by a continuous layer of earth. 
Whatever was burnt on the summit of 
the ridge must have grown from crevices 
and hollows as the present scrub spruce 
grows, and charred fragments remain to 
show that it was a larger, hence longer 
growth. 

Getting down the south slope of the 
Lower Claw was easy, sliding was the 
only way, but getting up again presented 
difficulties. A lucky find was made when 
a big fissure at the top was followed; 
this led out to a sheer drop down the east 
cliff, but a smaller fissure leading out of 
the larger was explored. This led to a 
ledge running south along the face of 
the cliff which, turning a corner, contin- 
ued to the base of the cli'ff. The ledge 
is six feet or more wide, and was cov- 

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ered with scrub spruce. These have been 
trimmed out, but plenty were left for 
handholds which will be comforting to 
many. Altogether this trail across the 
Claws is a most unique bit of rock trail. 
The trail now travels south on a broad 
bench along the mountain side, cliff 
above, a sheer drop of a hundred feet or 
more on the outside. Dense foliage casts 
a twilight gloom even on a bright day, 
while all around the ground is littered 
with the windfalls of untold years. Half 
a mile of this trail brings one to the 
Skidmore, a drop in the trail so much 
steeper than the Skidway, that the com- 
parative degree is deserved. After drop- 
ping down a hundred yards, the trail 
follows a wide fissure east, at one point 
passing between walls of rock 30 feet 
high. Breaking out of this crevice just 
before it arrives at a precipice, the trail 
crosses the edge of a lumbered clearing, 
littered with slash, and enters an open 
hardwood growth. Here the trail leads 
down a gentle slope, and in a short dis- 
tance strikes the few remaining "blazes" 
which mark the old route of the Long 
Trail. Here ends the Lion's Claw Trail, 
one of the most varied and picturesque 
trails in the Green mountains, for which 
generations of mountain lovers will thank 
the generous enthusiasm of Professor 
Monroe. 

HUNTINGTON NOTCH AND BIRCH 
LODGE. 
The first expedition ended July 8, but 
with the intention on Professor Monroe's 
part of improving the trail to the south 
by week-end trips during the session of 
the summer school at the University of 
Vermont. During the later stages of 
building trail, 12 miles a day was walked 
to and from work which wasted too much 

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time, so a camp near the south end of 
the trail was imperative. Valuable in- 
formation came at this juncture from 
John T. Orvis of Bristol, who had just 
joined the Green Mountain club. He had 
surveyed in the Lincoln mountain region, 
and was able to tell that accommodation 
was to be found at the farm of Frank 
Bean, near the west end of Huntington 
Notch, and to be reached by automobile. 
Meals were to be found at North Fayston 
sawmill at the east end of the Notch. 
Two miles south lies Waitsfleld with its 
hotel and stage line to Middlesex. Three 
miles east of Waitsfleld is the Pulp com- 
pany's mill, in the jaws of the Notch, 
which separates Stark peak and Lincoln 
mountain, where meals, lodging and an 
automobile are found. A logging road 
over the Notch crosses the Long Trail 
on the west side, and, followed out half 
a mile, leads to that happy combination 
of meals, lodging, and automobile at the 
"Wright farm. Again, where the Long 
Trail drops down the north slope of Ellen 
mountain a logging road leads out half 
a mile to Jerusalem, a little sawmill set- 
tlement, where meals and lodgings are 
to be found at Follansbee's. An automo- 
bile will befound at North Fayston. All 
of these places of accommodation are 
near the Long Trail and will prove of 
great convenience to hikers. 

To return to the story of the trail, on 
Friday, July 15, Professor Monroe, T. S. 
Dean and J. E. Woodruff took the auto- 
mobile stage at Richmond and were car- 
ried direct to the Bean farm. Here it was 
learned that the Green Mountain club's 
shelter camp south of Huntington Notch, 
which they proposed using as a camp, 
was only a mile by logging road from 
the farm. The open front log camp was 
found habitable, near a fine brook, and 

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with plenty of dry firewood at hand. As 
its logs were birch, Birch Lodge was in- 
evitable. The camp is directly on the 
Long Trail two miles south of Hunting- 
ton Notch. 

This was purely a scouting trip, the 
question at issue was whether it was best 
to continue the Lion's Claw trail over 
the old Long Trail or keep it up on the 
ridge. The ridge was scouted, and found 
to be rough ground, with a large lum- 
bered stretch full of slash to cross, with 
no scenic reward, so this route was dis- 
missed. 

On July 22, Professor Monroe took back 
another party, Messrs. Ames, Whittier, 
Dean and Olden Paris. A new roof was 
put on Birch Lodge, the two miles of 
trail to the Notch improved, and half a 
mile of trail to the north rebuilt. Again 
on July 29, Professor Monroe went in 
with Messrs. Dean, Berry, Cowles and 
Saunders, who completed the Long Trail 
to its junction with the Claw trail, five 
miles. On August 4 a trip was made to 
Camp Montclair by Professor Monroe, T. 
S. Dean and E. J, Berry. The Rock trail 
over the Claws was marked and the trail 
generally manicured. Nothing more was 
done until the close of the summer school, 
when on August 22 another expedition 
went to Burnt Lodge, Professor Monroe, 
Frederick Brown of Verona, N. J., and 
Olden Paris. On August 25, R. S. Wyn- 
koop of New York and T. S. Dean joined 
the party for the week-end. A revised 
table of distances has also come to hand, 
Callahan's to Camp Montclair, 3 1-2 miles 
Camp Montclair to Skidway, 2 1-2 miles, 
Skidway to the Lion's Claws, 4 1-2 miles. 
The Lion's Claws to Huntington Notch, 
5 miles, and the Notch to Birch Lodge, 
2 miles, 17 1-2 miles in all. Birch Lodge 
is at an elevation of 2,100 feet. 

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An Appalachian club practice with 
"blazes" has been followed. Each blaze 
is cut into the body wood of a tree and 
has been given two coats of white paint, 
making a line of blazes, which cannot be 
lost or mistaken for other blazed lines. 
They are good for 10 years to come, and 
loom up in the dark like tombstones in a 
cemetery. The use of this trail need not 
be limited to through travelers on the 
Long Trail. A trip out to the Lion's 
Claws will fit very well into a two days' 
trip to the Lion. It is 10 1-2 miles to the 
Lion's Claws from Callahan's, or the 
summit, but the trip had better start 
from the top to save the stiff climb at 
the end of a long tramp which would 
be found in returning to the Lion. Green 
Mountain club arrows with directions 
mark the trail. No water can be depend- 
ed on south of Camp Montclair, Though 
this is the first announcement a number 
have already traveled this trail, having 
learned of it in other ways, and there is 
no doubt that it will become one of the 
favorite day's marches on the Long Trail 
when once discovered. 

Professor Monroe's gift of this valuable 
addition to the Long Trail had a purpose 
beyond providing an interesting bit of 
trail. As he, himself, has said, the Green 
Mountain club probably might have been 
able to have built more trail had he 
given the club the actual money expend- 
ed, but this trail which has been built by 
the volunteer work of 14 members of the 
club will always mean more to the Green 
Mountain club than if built by hired la- 
bor. Then, too, remains the inspirational 
value ot this work, with the strong pos- 
sibility that each season will see some 
similar bit of trail perfected by the per- 
sonal work of members of the club. 



15 



FOR GREEN MOUNTAIN 
CLUB BOOKLETS 

The Long Trail, CameFs Hump Region 

This reprint is published by the Mem- 
bership Committee of the Green Moun- 
tain Club for the information and guid- 
ance of those who like to climb the 
mountains and "hit the trail." Should 
it awaken interest in the Green Mountains 
the officials of the Green Mountain Club 
will cheerfully furnish additional infor- 
mation. 

The Green Mountain Club 

The Green Mountain Club was organ- 
ized in 1 9 1 to make the Green Moun- 
tains accessible by opening up their 
peaks and interesting features, by a sys- 
tem of trails, and also to make the 
natural beauty and usefulness of these 
mountains and their forests better known 
by literature, maps, etc. 
Membership in the Green Mountain Club 

Persons over 1 8 years of age who are 
interested in the work and projects of 
the Club may become members on ap- 
plication to the Chairman of the Mem- 
bership Committee, and the payment of 
the yearly dues of one dollar. 

LOUIS J. PARIS, M. D. 

Chairman Membership Committee 

Burlington, Vermont 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



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